A full breakfast for a child in Guatemala

Morning like an emperor...

a good breakfast? That would at least be a start for many children in Guatemala.

"Eating enough to eat? I had never experienced that. Like many others, I lived on the streets and from what we found in the garbage. It was never enough and made me sick. The breakfast project run by the Children's Future Foundation brought me to the children's village. I was able to go to school there. Today I am studying medicine in Guatemala City. When I am a doctor, I will come back and help the children here." Alvaro, 19 years old. Alvaro is one of countless children in the highlands of Guatemala who are undernourished and have no chance of an education. Their life expectancy is low. Hundreds have been able to gather strength for a life free from hardship through the foundation's breakfast projects, in the children's village and decentrally in the Quetzaltenango department. In addition to food, the Children's Future Foundation offers the children safe accommodation, school and vocational training.

need

A healthy meal for children in Guatemala.

activity

We buy healthy food and prepare free meals for children in need.

Measurable performance

Number of meals that could be served

Result

Measurably increased class attendance and school performance

Systemically relevant impact

More students will be given access to higher education

background

In a report by the United Nations World Food Programme, the difficult situation in the highland areas of Guatemala was described as follows: Rural poverty is concentrated in the highland areas. ¾ of the rural population of Guatemala live below the poverty line. Poverty is often correlated with geographical isolation and ethnic exclusion (WFP, 2005). People often suffer from the long-term consequences of poor nutrition (WFP, 2005). One reason why improved and more nutritious nutrition concepts cannot prevail is the insecurity of land rights. More than 40% of the economically active rural population does not own land. This exacerbates the poor basis for a nutritious diet. The nutritional situation for children is correspondingly catastrophic. The nutritional deficiencies make it difficult for them to concentrate at school. This worsens their future prospects. 23 years ago, the Children's Future Foundation built a children's village for all of these children near the city of Quetzaltenango. The children receive safe accommodation, healthy food and medical care. Later, they can attend school and receive vocational training here. The children's village's kitchen and health center are also open to the poorest children and families in the area. The foundation also runs projects in particularly needy villages to give the children a nutritious meal at least once a day.

The good deed

The breakfast projects, as well as other measures to provide children with healthy food on a permanent basis, are the first step in the comprehensive concept of helping children to help themselves. With "frijoles" (local, extremely nutrient-rich beans), eggs, fruit, vegetables and rice milk, children become healthy and strong for everything that comes afterward: the next steps are school lessons, later training in jobs that can earn money in Guatemala. This gives them the chance to finally escape from hardship. The Children's Future Foundation offers all of this in Guatemala, in its own children's village and also in decentralized projects where help is particularly urgently needed. Nutrition, however, is the prerequisite for the children to be able to take this path out of hardship.

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